Happy Birthday C

Tuesday, November 29/16

C,

Today is your birthday and I hope family and friends make it as warm and happy as you make those around you.

May the thoughts and words make your eyes twinkle and lips part into that little smile I love so much.

But most of all may you have a wonderful day and remember that you truly are only as old as you feel.

You will always be second to none to in my books.

Love,
Marcus

Happy Thanksgiving to my American followers

Thursday, November 24/16

A very hearty shout out to all the blog followers who live in the United States and are enjoying Thanksgiving today and preparing for the madness that is tomorrow aka Black Friday.

When I lived San Diego and had Black Friday off I'd go and golf with friends while our significant others went shopping.

What? you imagined I'd be in a mall when I could be walking down a fairway trying to visualize my approach shot over a bunker......silly reader

Marcus

The First Snow of the Winter Season

Sunday, November 20/16

So today was one of those lazy Sunday's we all like and deserve sometimes.

Saturday was busy with my son's indoor soccer game in the morning, doing some errands afterwards, and finished with us going to see the Senator game with the tickets his co-op placement gave him on Thursday.  The funny thing was that his mom and sister were at the same too but sitting almost directly across the arena from us - we signaled each other with the light function on our cell phones and gave everyone around a good chuckle when we explained what was going on lol

The plan for today was to just take it easy as he had some reading to do for English and some progress to make on a Law project. I was planning on just doing some analysis on the payroll to make sure our parent company isn't over/under charging us for benefits and than watch the Red Blacks in the CFL Eastern Finals against Edmonton.

The topper to the day was the snow that started falling around 9am and continued all day long. It made for some interesting plays in the Red Blacks game and gave me some chilled fingers when I switched out his floor mats for the new winter mats I got last month for my son's car.

Now as much as I love golf and knowing that the falling white stuff means my game is on hold, I also love how it looks when it's snowing outside, the wind blowing flakes all willy nilly outside my front window.

I cooked up a nice little pork roast with mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner and my son commented on how much he loved seeing the snow outside as ate our meal.

The rest of the night will see him doing some more reading and I'll use the time to tidy things up as well as make my lunch for tomorrow as I'm bound and determined to cut down on my dining out costs moving forwards, I mean I do have to keep adding to my son's RESP account so he can pursue his dream and not end up in massive debt while doing so.

I hope everyone's weekend was as fulfilling as mine and that you drive safe and take a moment to tell those close to you how much you care for them.

Marcus

P.S. Red Blacks beat Edmonton and are off to their second straight Grey Cup next weekend down in Toronto!!!!

The Crown

Sunday, November 20/16

On November 4th Netflix released a new series about the early years of Queen Elizabeth's reign and I started watching it right off the bat for a couple of reasons.

First and foremost being part of my heritage directly comes from the United Kingdom by way of my maternal grandfather and the second being it just looked like a pretty damn good show, those being hard to come by lately.

I went into my viewing wondering how they would portray the royal family and Elizabeth's rise to the head of the monarchy upon her father's passing. So far they've done an outstanding job and along the way I've learned a little bit more about the trials and tribulations she had to face as she established her reign in the aftermath of the Second World War, continued rationing of the basics faced by her people, dealing with those heading her government who were unsure of her ability to pull her people together, and the continuing decline of the British empire in the face of the growing cold war between the west and east.

I've found the portrayal of Prince Philip to be extremely fascinating as you can see how hard being the royal consort could be on a male who was established in a career in the royal navy before meeting and eventually wedding the future queen of England. Now that is not to say he is a lovable character or even a nice person as he is neither of those in my mind but it does go along way in showing the impact it had not only on himself but his children as well, especially Charles.

I loved the show from the opening scene and found the music that opens and closes each episode to be entrancing, In my mind it captures the period as it was meant to be captured but feels like it belongs in the here and now. A subtle blend of the old with the new that doesn't just work it makes the show move and move perfectly. Something that I've never experienced before, where the music makes the show seem more alive, more real, almost as if you were literally standing right there in each scene, wanting to help a young Elizabeth navigate her way through the decisions she must make not just as a Queen but as a daughter, sister, mother, wife, and lover.

As I was watching the story unfold through the opening episodes I found my son would wander out of his room now and again to catch a scene while getting a drink or snack and more often than not I'd find him watching me as I watched a scene that had Elizabeth in it.

After going through this a few times I paused the episode I was watching and asked him what was going on and why the scrutiny. He smiled as he looked from me to the scene frozen on the screen that showed Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth and back to me again before replying "I've never seen you so into a show like this before and just wondering what has you so drawn to this one, and I think I know now"

I must have looked a little confused as he told me to hold on a second and walked back down the hallway to my office before returning a moment later with a picture frame in his hand and a sad smile on his face.

Before he even handed me the picture frame I knew who was in it and turned to gaze back at the scene and softly said to myself "C"

I think I knew all along deep inside me that I saw the resemblance but wouldn't let myself openly acknowledge it and that every time I saw Claire Foy on the screen my heart gave a little skip.

It is rather ironic that over the past couple of months I've done a fairly decent job of getting back into the dating world with a few drink dates only to start a new job with my old CFO and have one of his opening questions on my first day be about my efforts towards C and now this series comes along as just another reminder of the one who was the one but ended up not being my one.....

The funny thing is that not only does Claire Foy remind me of C in regards to her looks but also in terms of how lonely her life can be at times as both sit in positions that have seen them have to make a decision that they know is right but goes against what their hearts wanted them to do. Neither one has someone close they can turn to and unload after a tough day in a way that will remain confidential as they both stand apart from those around them. I think both are doing what they want to do, least I know C is, and yet by doing that very thing they find themselves alone in a crown of people.

Watching The Crown has made me think back about how I acted with C while we were together and I hope with all my heart I did far better for C than Philip has done for Elizabeth, that she knew I was there for her and loved the time spent with her, learning her world, and hopefully helped her in some small ways in dealing with the pressures of being who she has to be day to day.

When I hear the opening and closing theme from The Crown it makes me feel incredibly sad and yet hopeful in some way.

We don't always get what we want in life but I'm coming to realize that sometimes we get it for brief moments and those moments are meant to be enjoyed for all they are worth and later in life to be brought out and relived momentarily when needed to help you get through a tough time. I have a few of those and know they will see me through what ever difficult times lay ahead of me.

So if you ever wonder what my C looked like I invite you to watch The Crown and note the way Claire Foy looks into your soul,  the tilt of her neck, and the smile that graces the viewer. Those simple acts are part of what made me fall so hard and openly for C.

Marcus

The link I've added to today's entry will take you to YouTube and allow you to hear the theme song that makes this blogger smile wistfully every time he hears it.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpNCuMRurmc

University Open Houses

Saturday, November 12/16

So the past two weekends have been spent at the open houses run by Carleton University and University of Ottawa with my son, his girlfriend, and my ex as we try and determine the entrance requirements, costs, and which programs he would like to attend.

I think back to my own senior year in high school and what I went through and it was so different from what I'm seeing with my son.

First off, growing up in Southern California offered me a much larger pool of schools from which to consider than my son has now in Ontario. There were four universities, two college's, and close to 6 community colleges in San Diego alone to choose from, whereas my son is looking at 2 universities and 2 colleges here in Ottawa. If I add in those located in Los Angeles and San Francisco I probably had more schools to choose from than he does in all of Canada.

Guess size does matter sometimes depending on the subject matter :-)

I never really went through the process he is going through as I knew from my early teens I would end up at San Diego State University and pursue a business degree as my parents had their own real estate based business and their goal was to eventually retire and I would take it over. My father saw me following in his footsteps and earning my degree in marketing and possibly participating in debate as well. But like they say a funny thing happened on the way to the show and I fell in love with accounting and finance. Now this might not sound all that odd but you'd have to have a little background and understand how much I loathed numbers. I dreaded math and am pretty sure I did my utmost best to take the bare minimum in high school to meet my degree requirements. I'm also confident that neither of my parents could have told you in any one high school semester what I was taking or how I was doing. Those two simple statements have resonated with me since my high school years and have been the foundation for my own interest in both my children's education.

Now don't get me wrong and think my parents didn't care as I know they did, it's just they were running a new business that they saw as a future for the family. I don't begrudge them that lack of knowledge and in some ways thank them for it now as it helped shape the parent I was to my daughter and am to my son. Sometimes we get lucky and are able to use something that wasn't all that great for us to improve ourselves for those who are important to us later in life.

I've enjoyed the campus visits with my son and his mother. We went in thinking his degree objective was one thing and have come out of the process with him making a change that should help him in the end achieve his career aspirations. I've also come to realize I need to start adding more to his RESP so as to cover off my half of his costs. His mother and I are completely focused on paying for this from our own resources and helping him avoid having to take on any student debt as we don't want him starting of his post university with student loans to repay while settling into his new career.

We'll be heading back to one campus over the next couple of weeks and taking a walk around it so he can feel the pulse and know if it really is the one for him. I'm sure it is but I'm not the one who is going to be spending the next four years walking the paths between buildings, making new friends, finding out just how far I can be pushed in a class or while working in a group on a grade critical project. No, I've had my time doing those things and now it's his turn, something I'm really excited to witness as I watch the continual transformation of my son into a man in his own right.

Marcus is my name and not a nom de plume as some have thought.

Lest We Forget

Lest We Forget......

November 11/16

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in our lords year nineteen hundred and eighteen did the guns fall silent across Europe but long before that moment did Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae pen these words.......

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

 

 

 

Every year we remind ourselves of the sacrifices made by so many in order to safeguard our liberties and freedom through the wearing of the poppy

 

 

I will spend my moment of silence thinking of my great grandfather who lays silently in Flanders Field, my uncle resting near Anzio, and all the others who have taken a place on the ramparts so that I may lead the life I've been afforded without worry or fear.

 

I can now add two more names to my list of those I honour today though those names shall be kept in my heart for me alone to know for that is where my memories of them belong.

 

I shall not ever forget the past nor the present when thinking of them.

 

Thank you...............

How does one choose between two equally vile candidates?

Tuesday, November 8th, 2016.

I can honestly say without a moments hesitation that I am so glad I moved from the U.S. to Canada for no other reason than it let me avoid having to try and choose between the lesser of two evils running for president.

On one hand you have a egotistical buffoon who thinks he can bully his way out of any situation not to his liking, someone who tends to forget the silver spoon that aided him in his rise to his current financial standing,

On the other hand you have a career politician who wouldn't know the truth if it stood in front of her wearing a pink tutu holding a sign proclaiming it was the truth. Add her philandering husband to the mix and I'm sure more than one young female intern at the White House is thinking of ways to avoid being in a room alone with wily old Bill.

So has it come down to where we now are no longer voting for the candidate that we think will do the best job for the country but rather the one we think will do the least amount of damage and not leave the United States looking like a laughing stock on the world stage.

I've been checking out some websites during the day and found it interesting that the race was as close as it is given the tone of the campaigns run by each candidate.

One says if he loses it means the election was rigged and the other tells voters in one of her last campaign stops to not vote for the evil candidate. How about the first accept the results like an adult and not whine when he doesn't get his way and the other actually present a viable platform that makes her stand above the first and not tell voters she is the lesser of the two evils.

Both Hilary and Donald are evil and neither should have the privilege of running an outhouse least of all a country.

So how do you pick who gets your vote?

If I was still voting down there I'd probably be leaning independent this time around. Maybe if enough people did that the message might get through that it's time for a change in the partisan politics that uses nothing more than smear tactics to frighten voters and demean opponents.

My name is Marcus and I weep a silent tear for the Armageddon that is tonight's elections in America.

Media Games

Thursday, November 04/16

So on my 40+ minute drive to work this past week I've had lots of time to think about things, sometimes this is good thing and sometimes it's not so good, and I started thinking back about some of the major stories we've been flooded with over the past year or so.

Do any of these rings a bell?

Ebola outbreak in West Africa sees first major cases in America. There was some panic but not as much as could have been expected given some of the reporting that was going on around this story.

Greece close to defaulting on national debt. I remember reading countless stories about how the Greek people were not going to let the government cut pensions or try and enforce the tax code as the rest of Europe was demanding they do if Greece expected to receiver any more funding. Seem to remember Germany being painted as the bad guys in this scenario given how they control the purse strings in the European Common Market.

China builds islands in the South China Sea and declares a 20o mile sea zone radius that will choke off trade. America and Japan both tested the no fly zone and found no response forthcoming but the region was up in arms over this blatant act of militarism by China.

Syrian refugees flood the soft underbelly of Europe seeking to reach Germany and the rest of Northern Europe. Canada responded to the crises by allowing 25,000 refugees into the country under one of the first acts initiated by the Justin Trudeau government. It was a fly by your seats response by our JT and probably not his last. Oh lucky us.

Britain votes to leave the European Common Market or the Brexit as the pundits have come to call it.

So here are 5 major events that captivated the wold for a few brief moments in time and than faded back into obscurity.

So what does that tell us about our ability to remain focused on an event? I mean none of these issues have been solved in the least and yet we never hear about them anymore.

Are we as a society incapable of staying tuned to something for longer than a week?

I'd like to think we can but evidence suggests otherwise. Now the wait begins for the next story or issue the media can latch onto and inundate us about.

My name is Marcus and sometimes I scratch my head at the world and welcome the voices in my head :-)